This piece is very similar to The Meeting Point, although they were taken half way around the world from each other and three months apart. This creation is based on a photograph I took at the beach on the island of Maui. It was sunset, with a dramatic stormy sky approaching. There were a few people still in the sea, enjoying that last bit of a day in paradise. I took the original photo with the Hipstamatic app, which already gave it a very dreamy and attractive look. A few weeks later, I started playing around with it in DXP, my favorite double exposure tool on the iPhone. I was taken aback when the clouds suddenly looked to me like a monster in the sky. I immediately thought of the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s stage set for The Nutcracker, which, designed by Maurice Sendack, has these fantastical drawings of the Mouse King and Herr Drosselmeier. As is often the case, I was editing this image right before bed, which is why I’ve titled it “The Mouse King Says Goodnight”.